


The One Where Isa Is a Princess

by whirlpool



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale, Crack, Gen, Humor, Isa is a boy princess, Lea solves everything with murder, M/M, Not A Genderbend, Slow Burn, don't ask just accept it, he was adopted by King Mickey and Queen Minnie
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-22
Updated: 2019-04-22
Packaged: 2020-01-24 06:08:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,748
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18565492
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whirlpool/pseuds/whirlpool
Summary: “This is Lea,” says Sir Xaldin, his knight’s armor clinking uncomfortably loud in the silence of Isa’s quarters. He gestures to the scrawny, unwashed redhead beside him. “He is your new manservant, and will be accompanying you on your travels.”“I should think not,” says Isa immediately.





	The One Where Isa Is a Princess

Princess Isa’s day had been going perfectly fine up until now, thank you very much. At 8:00 am, he had gone to piano lessons down in the ballroom. At 9:00 am, he had etiquette class with the other young ladies of the court. At 10:00 am, his private tutor arrived and went over his lessons in arithmetic, science, history, and calligraphy. At noon, he enjoyed a savory and nutritious lunch made with fresh ingredients from the royal gardens.

It is now 1:30 pm, and Princess Isa can tell that his day is going rapidly downhill.

“This is Lea,” says Sir Xaldin, his knight’s armor clinking uncomfortably loud in the silence of Isa’s quarters. He gestures to the scrawny, unwashed redhead beside him. “He is your new manservant, and will be accompanying you on your travels.”

“I should think not,” says Isa immediately. The redhead opens his mouth, as if to protest, and Isa thinks: _insubordination_. “I was promised a competent manservant who would assist in all aspects of my travels. This is… a boy.”

“Your Highness,” says Sir Xaldin remorsefully. “I do apologize for the inconvenience, but the castle is short-staffed as it is, and Lea has been employed in the royal kitchens for many months and is fully vetted.”

Lea looks more like a stable boy who has been sleeping in the hay loft for the past few months.

“Now, if your graciousness would excuse me, I must return to my duties.” With considerable deference, Sir Xaldin bows and then slowly clinks away.

Princess Isa crosses his arms and sizes up the redhead. He looks to be about Isa’s age (eighteen), a little shorter than Isa’s height (six feet, thank you very much), and significantly scrawnier (the princess prided himself on his physical training).

“I’m Lea,” says the boy, redundantly.

“Yes,” replies Isa sourly. “Sir Xaldin informed me. About thirty seconds ago.”

There’s dirt on Lea’s clothes, and his hair sticks up in all directions. Do servants not learn basic grooming skills anymore? Isa will have to speak with someone about that.

Lea heaves out a big sigh and then helps himself to one of Isa’s custom-made, silk-covered chairs. Isa doesn’t recall ever giving him permission to stand down, much less to sit. He is so flabbergasted by the boy’s flagrant disrespect that he can’t even find the words to rebuke him.

“You know, when Xaldin said I would be working for a princess, I expected someone with…” Lea trails off.

Isa raises an eyebrow.

“...princess parts,” Lea tries.

Isa continues staring him down.

“Um, you know.” Lea makes cupping hand-motions at his chest.

Isa waits.

Finally, Lea bursts out, “So you’re a boy _and_ a princess?”

Isa sighs, prepared to give the same canned speech he inevitably gives to anyone not familiar with his kingdom’s traditions and culture. Apparently, Lea had failed to learn any of this during his months of work at the castle. “Princess is a gender-neutral term. It simply refers to any royal heir who is --”

Lea waves his hand. “Yeah, sure, whatever. Tell me about these travels you’ve got planned.”

Isa feels vaguely dizzy from all the sudden turns in this conversation.

He clears his throat. “Since birth, I have been betrothed to Prince Ansem the Wise. Now that I am eighteen years old, I shall travel to the kingdom of Radiant Garden and marry him.” 

“Ansem sounds like a little bitch,” says Lea fervently. “He has a little bitch name.”

Isa nearly chokes on his own saliva. He coughs violently. “That is -- not how -- one speaks of royalty,” he croaks.

“I bet you’ve never even met him,” continues Lea, completely unaffected. “You’re going to marry someone you’ve never met before?”

Lea has no right to be asking these kinds of questions. Isa feels anger flaring up in his chest.

“It is my royal duty,” Isa finally says, flatly. “Now, are you going to begin packing my clothes?”

\--

On the morning of Princess Isa’s departure for the kingdom of Radiant Garden, a small crowd is gathered in the courtyard.

“I’m so proud of you,” sniffs Queen Minnie, hugging him close. “You’ve grown up to be such a beautiful princess.”

“Thanks, Mom,” says Isa, absolutely not choking back tears himself. To clarify, Queen Minnie did not give birth to Isa, but rather found him as an abandoned infant on the edges of the castle garden. She and King Mickey adopted him as their own, and gave him everything a true royal heir would have.

“Prince Ansem is a lucky man to have your hand in marriage,” says King Mickey. “I know that you two will have many wonderful years ruling the kingdom of Radiant Garden together.”

Isa stiffens. Yes. His marriage.

“We should depart, before we lose too much daylight,” says Isa quickly. He scans the courtyard for his companions. His traveling party is small, consisting of himself, his ridiculous manservant, and two knights for protection.

“Yes, yes, of course,” says Queen Minnie, finally releasing him from her embrace. “Safe travels, dear. Write home often.”

And with a trumpet blast and a hundred-man salute of flaming arrows to the sky, they are off.

\--

The fastest route to the kingdom of Radiant Garden, Sir Lexaeus explains as they set off, takes only three days if they cut through the Deep Jungle. Excited, he shows them the new machete he had bought just for this trip.

“I don’t suppose,” says Princess Isa carefully, “that we could take a more...scenic route?”

Sir Lexaeus visibly deflates, but admits that they could cross through the kingdom of the Castle of Dreams, the Enchanted Dominion, and the kingdom of Corona. “However, the journey will take much longer,” he warns. “Most likely ten to fifteen days.”

“That sounds perfect,” says Isa. “I don’t mind the extra travel days.” From behind him, Lea makes an indignant noise.

Forlornly, Sir Lexaeus puts his machete and mosquito netting away.

The other knight, Sir Xigbar, sniggers and says, “Trying to make the most of your time outside a castle, eh, Princess?”

Isa bristles. He would never admit it out loud, but it’s true. He has spent the last eighteen years of his life sheltered within the confines of Disney Castle and its surrounding town. “I’ve heard the kingdom of Corona is lovely this time of year, that’s all,” says Isa. “It would be a shame to miss it.”

“Whatever you say, Princess,” says Xigbar, before burping loudly.

\--

By nightfall, they’re safely in the kingdom of the Castle of Dreams, and Isa is exhausted and sore from riding horseback all day long.

“There should be a chateau just up ahead,” says Lexaeus for the eleventh time. They’re been wandering in these woods for the past two hours. It’s dark, and Isa is hungry and irritable. He misses his royal castle and his royal cooks and his royal bed.

“Can you check your map again?” says Isa crossly.

“Hey, do you guys hear that?” asks Lea.

They reach a clearing, and a young woman is leaning over a bench and sobbing. The pink dress that she’s wearing is in tatters.

Lexaeus draws his sword. “Identify yourself!” he cries, before Isa smacks his arm and motions for him to stand down.

Isa dismounts his horse and rushes over to the girl. “Are you okay?” he asks. “I am Princess Isa, from the Kingdom of Disney Castle. What’s your name?”  

“Cinderella.” She sniffles. “My friends made me the most beautiful dress - but my stepmother and stepsisters ruined it!” Her shoulders heave. “And I was so looking forward to the ball,” she says despondently.  

“They sound like bitches,” says Lea decisively. “Where are they now?”

“Oh, they must be at the ball by now,” Cinderella says, mournful. Another tear rolls down her cheek. “Perhaps they’ve even met the Prince. What a marvelous time they must be having.” She sighs, and gazes over at the Castle of Dreams that is barely visible through the trees.

Lea starts to turn his horse around. “Xigbar, give me your dagger.”

To Isa’s horror, Sir Xigbar hands over the weapon with zero hesitation. The knight even has the audacity to look _amused_ at the current development of events.

“Wait, you can’t just -- ” Isa begins.

“I won’t be long!” says Lea, giving Isa a big thumbs-up before kicking his horse and cantering away towards the castle.

“...leave,” finishes Isa.

\--

Forty minutes later, Lea comes galloping back, slightly sweaty and breathing heavily. His face and the front of his shirt are splattered with blood.

“Okay, Cinderella,” Lea says cheerfully, dismounting his horse. “Your stepmother and stepsisters won’t be giving you trouble any more.”

Isa stares at him in horror. “Did you...did you just kill them?”

Lea blinks innocently. “I don’t think so. I just stabbed them. Does stabbing people kill them?” He grins, then wipes his hands across his shirt, leaving more streaks of red.

“Now, listen, Cinderella,” Lea continues, turning to the young woman. “I know you’re probably all sad and waiting for your Cinder-fella, but let me tell you something.” He claps a hand onto her shoulder. “You don’t need no man! You are a strong, independent woman. You’ve got to believe in yourself.”

Cinderella nods and wipes away the last of her tears. “Oh, thank you, kind sir. I’ll try my very best to believe in myself.”

The girl’s coming-of-age self-acceptance arc is nice and all, but Isa is still struggling to come to terms with Lea’s flagrant disobedience. He looks to his knights for guidance, only to see Sir Lexaeus engrossed in catching a beetle and Sir Xigbar scraping the underside of his toenails. Xigbar sniffs his fingers assessingly, then flicks his tongue out for a taste.

Isa shudders.

Lea yawns, then grins at Cinderella. “Well, now that you’ve got the house to yourself, d’you mind letting us stay the night?”

\--

Five days (and two dragons, seven bandit ambushes, three old hags offering suspiciously bright red apples, and one river gnome lacking any kind of underpants) later, the party reaches the Enchanted Dominion.

“This would be a great place to stop for lunch,” says Lexaeus as they cross through a meadow. The grass is green and luscious, and colorful butterflies flit through the air. A soft breeze ripples the surface of the clear blue lake beside them.

“We ate breakfast an hour ago,” Isa reminds him.

Lexaeus’s shoulders droop.

“I could go for a snack break,” offers Lea.

“We are not stopping for a snack break!” Isa huffs.

Xigbar chimes in, “We could refill our water flasks in the lake right here.”

Lexaeus makes noises of agreement. “You’re absolutely right, Sir Xigbar. This would be a perfect place to stop.”

“Snack break!” Lea cheers.

Thirty minutes later, Lexaeus is finishing the last of his cheese and crackers while Xigbar sharpens his sword and Lea readies the horses.

“To be clear,” says Isa. “I’m still the one who gives orders around here. This snack break was only possible through the goodness and generosity of my heart.”

“Of course, Princess,” says Xigbar indulgently.

“Prince? Oh my, did someone say a prince was here?” Three fairies swoosh into the clearing. They have pointy hats and nearly matching outfits, save for the color differences. One is wearing all blue, one is clad in all red, and the other has all green. Lea squawks and falls into the lake. Lexaeus quickly stuffs the last wedge of cheese into his mouth.

“That would be me,” says Isa. “I am Princess Isa, from the Kingdom of Disney Castle.”

“Oh, a princess,” says the one in red, disappointed. “We were looking for a prince.”

Isa feels his face grow hot. “Anything a prince does, I can do too,” he says indignantly.

“Perhaps we should explain,” says the one in green. “My name is Fauna. This is Flora...” she gestures to the one in red. “And this is Merryweather,” she continues, pointing to the one in blue. “We are looking for a prince to give a true love’s kiss to our darling Aurora, who is trapped in a cursed slumber.”

Oh. Yes. Giving a true love’s kiss is one of the few princely skills that Isa cannot employ as a princess.

“I’m terribly sorry to hear that,” says Isa. “But I’m afraid that I’m already betrothed to another.”

“See, I told you!” hisses Merryweather. “Coming here was a mistake. These people could be working for _her_.”

Lea pulls himself out of the lake, algae clinging to his hair. “Yeah, he’s betrothed to some bitch-ass named Ansem.”

“I’ve told you before, that’s no way to be speaking of a royal,” Isa snaps. “I could have you publicly whipped for such language.”

“Why do it publicly when you could do in private?” Lea says, winking. Isa absolutely, positively, does not have a brief vision of Lea spread-eagled and naked in his bed. That doesn’t happen. Not at all. For one thing, it is entirely unbecoming of a princess to harbor such lustful and violent fantasies. For another, it is simply unprofessional to have any kinds of relations --

“It’s not your fault, my dear,” sighs Fauna. “All we want is to find a true love’s kiss for our Aurora. She’s like a daughter to us. We’ve raised her as our own since she was a tiny infant.” Tears start to well up in her eyes. “Oh, if only we could save her!” she wails.

“Hold up, hold up,” says Lea. “If she’s like a daughter to you, would you say that your love for her is... true?”

Flora nods vigorously. “Of course, dear! Our love for Aurora is true as can be!”

Lea tilts his head. “Then doesn’t that mean you could give her a true love’s kiss on the forehead or something?”

Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather collectively gasp. “But of course!” exclaims Fauna. “How did we never think of that? Oh, thank you, thank you!”

As quickly as the three fairies had arrived, they fly off, leaving a trail of pixie dust.

Lea turns to Isa and grins, still dripping with lake water. Isa completely ignores the way his wet shirt clings to his torso. In fact, he doesn’t even notice it at all. It’s a non-issue.

\--

The final land they pass through, before reaching Radiant Garden, is the kingdom of Corona.

“What lovely trees,” says Sir Lexaeus as they cut their way through a dense, humid forest.

“What lovely flowers,” says Sir Lexaeus as they struggle through tall, spiky weeds with pollen that makes them sneeze.

“What a lovely...tower?”

The four of them stare up at a massive tower that was definitely not on the map.

“Maybe they have food,” says Lea hopefully. They’ve been living off dried jerky and crackers for the past six days. “We should go visit.”

“Nonsense,” says Isa. “If it wasn’t on the map, it must be some secret hideout for insurgents. We should leave, now.”

“Yes, we should leave,” echoes Sir Xigbar. “It’s not as if there might be hot food inside. Or a bath. Or beds with mattresses.”

\--

Ten minutes later, Lea and Isa are scaling the walls of the tower while Lexaeus and Xigbar stand guard at the base.

“This,” grits out Isa, “was a terrible idea.” Princesses were meant to embroider elaborate tapestries, or sing to birds, or wear glass slippers. They were certainly not meant to climb seventy-foot tall towers while sweating profusely.

“Think about the food,” says Lea encouragingly.

Lea reaches the top first, and scrambles through the open window. “Hey, Isa!” he shouts. “I see some --”

There’s a loud crack of metal on bone, and then the sound of a body hitting the floor.

Isa ascends the remaining few feet carefully, then calls out, “My name is Princess Isa, from the Kingdom of Disney Castle. We mean no harm.”

A blonde girl pokes her head out. Her eyes are wide and green, much like Lea’s. Not that Isa pays any attention to Lea’s eyes. That would be weird, and Isa isn’t weird.

“I’m Rapunzel,” she says, sizing him up. She’s holding a frying pan, which was presumably used to incapacitate his useless manservant. She narrows her eyes. “Are you here to steal my hair?” Her hair is, indeed, quite long.

“What? No!” Isa retorts. “I don’t care about your hair. We were only looking for food.”

Rapunzel lowers the frying pan.

“Um, can I come in?” he asks. She steps back, and Isa climbs through the window. He sees Lea on the floor, groggily sitting up and rubbing his head.

“I’ll give you guys food, on one condition,” Rapunzel announces. “You take me to see the lanterns.”

“Of course,” says Isa, who has zero intentions of taking her anywhere. His only plans involve collecting his woozy manservant and getting the hell out of here.

“Does this place not have stairs?” Lea asks, standing up. He sways dangerously, and Isa puts out a hand to steady him. “How do you even get in and out?”

Rapunzel hesitates. “Well, I’ve… I’ve never had to…”

“Cut your hair?” offers Isa wryly.

“I’ve never had to leave the tower,” says Rapunzel. “Mother keeps me safe here.”

“Damn,” says Lea. “She sounds like a bitch. Where is she?”

“In the forest, gathering mushrooms for dinner,” says Rapunzel. “Why?”

Lea sighs and holds out his hand. “Give me that frying pan, will you? I’ll take care of this.”

\--

 

“I want you to know,” says Isa slowly, as they’re riding away from Corona, “That killing people’s mothers is not the only way of resolving conflicts.”

 

\--

They arrive at Radiant Garden the next day.

As they stare down the long brick road that leads into the main city, Isa tells himself that the sinking feeling in his stomach is only due to the funny-smelling jerky he ate for breakfast.

“Well, I guess this is it,” says Lea. Isa glances over, and his manservant has an expression on his face that Isa can’t quite read.

They approach the castle in silence. For the first time in fifteen days, Sir Lexaeus doesn’t have any appreciative commentary on the surrounding landscape. Sir Xigbar doesn’t brag about his latest sexual exploits. Even Lea is conspicuously devoid of his constant snark and cheerful yammering.

Isa clears his throat. “I want to thank you all,” he says, “for accompanying me on this trip. The past fifteen days have been some of the best days of my life.”

“It was an honor, Your Highness,” says Sir Lexaeus graciously.

“Aw, stop talking like that,” whines Lea. “Isa’s getting married, not executed.”

Isa knows that, but he can’t seem to shake the feeling that things won’t be quite the same ever again.

Prince Ansem is waiting for them at the castle gates. He’s surrounded by no less than two hundred knights in gleaming armor, silk-clad dancers with tambourines, and a loud brass band blasting some triumphant victory march.

“Well, looks like our protection job here is done,” says Sir Xigbar, observing the countless armed guards patrolling the entire castle courtyard. He pats Isa’s shoulder. “Be a good boy now!” he says, before grabbing Lexaeus’s arm and dragging him off. Isa can faintly hear him shout, “Yes! Off to the taverns!” before he disappears from sight.

“My darling betrothed!” Prince Ansem calls out, spreading his arms wide.

“How wonderful to meet you,” says Isa, curtseying politely.

“You are more beautiful than I could have ever imagined,” Prince Ansem declares.

Before Isa can react, Ansem pulls him into a passionate kiss. It’s rather wet. The crowd cheers. Ansem’s hands are roaming everywhere - into his hair, down his back, and … oh.

“Perhaps,” says Isa, as they pull apart. “I could freshen up in my quarters before the rehearsal supper tonight?”

\--

It’s not as if Isa was expecting to instantly fall in love with a man he’s never met before. He knows that relationships take time, even ones that were predetermined since before he could even walk. It’s just that Prince Ansem is… is so…

“Old? Bald? Wrinkly?” suggests Lea. He’s unpacking Isa’s clothes and hanging them up in the wardrobe while Isa sprawls across the bed.

“All of the above,” says Isa, pinching the bridge of his nose. “And why are his eyes so yellow? It only reminds me of an unemptied chamber pot.”

“You’d better get used to it,” teases Lea. “You’ll be looking into those eyes a lot, especially tomorrow night.”

Isa groans and sits up. When he looks at his manservant, Lea’s face is carefully closed off, like if Isa pushes too hard he might just shatter.

“Tell me I’m not making a big mistake right now,” says Isa. Everything is happening so fast. It feels like just yesterday he was leaving home, and now it’s the day before his wedding.

Lea puts down the shirt he’s holding and walks over. The mattress dips as he takes a seat.

“Isa,” says Lea. He’s sitting close, so close that Isa can feel the heat radiating off his skin, can see the freckles across his cheeks. “You are the smartest, kindest, most capable princess I have ever met.”

“I’m the _only_ princess you’ve ever met,” scoffs Isa weakly.

Lea takes a deep breath. Isa thinks, _he could kiss me. He could kiss me right now and I wouldn’t even mind_.

“And I would never,” continues Lea, with that strange, inscrutable expression on his face, “ _ever_ stop you from your royal duties.”

Abruptly, Lea stands back up and picks up another shirt, and Isa is left feeling even more lost than before.

\--

The rehearsal supper is more lavish than anything Isa has seen in his entire life. Crammed onto every possible surface are piles and piles of grilled fish, roasted vegetables, fresh-baked breads, juicy meats, rare wines, and seemingly everything else the kingdom of Radiant Garden has to offer.

“My darling,” coos Prince Ansem, from where he’s seated beside Isa at the head of the main table. “Are you looking forward to our wedding tomorrow? I’ve arranged for the most exquisite rare flowers to be displayed all around the castle. It will be simply breathtaking.”

“How wonderful,” says Isa flatly, finishing his third glass of red wine and motioning to Lea for another.

Ansem’s hand, which has been rubbing circles on his back all evening, starts to work its way lower.

“I am truly,” Ansem whispers into his ear, “the luckiest man in the world.”

“God, does he always have to grab your ass like that?” Lea grumbles under his breath as he sets down Isa’s drink with a slosh. “You’re a princess, not a piece of meat.”

Ansem turns, and Isa’s blood runs cold.

“My, my, my,” the prince tuts. “It seems as though someone has quite an attitude.”

Lea rolls his eyes. “Yeah, well, it seems as though someone doesn’t understand the concept of personal space.”

“I’m not sure how things are run in Disney Castle,” says Ansem, lip curling. “But here in Radiant Garden, servants are expected to be _silent_ ,” he bites out, “and _obedient_.”

The prince rubs his chin thoughtfully. “Perhaps a night in the royal jail would suit you.” He signals for his guards, and two knights quickly approach and take hold of Lea’s arms.

Isa is horrified.

“Are you _serious_?” Lea is incredulous, struggling against the guards as they steadily drag him towards the doors. “Really? Isa, you’re just gonna let him do this?”

Isa knows he should say something, knows he should _do_ something, but he’s frozen in shock. Ansem’s hand is still gripping him tight. The guards leave with Lea, and the gap they’d created in the crowd quickly fills back in.

“Now then,” says Ansem, relaxing back into his chair. “Have you tried the olives, dear? They’re simply delightful.”

\--

As soon as the meal concludes, and Isa’s princess-ly duties of smiling at random dignitaries and shaking hands and kissing babies are fulfilled, he rushes down to the royal prisons of Radiant Garden.

“Isa!” Lea calls, waving wildly from his cell. Isa has never felt more relieved in his life.

“Listen, you’ve got to get us out of here,” says Lea, as if that wasn’t Isa’s whole plan this entire time. “This,” he gestures to the blond man sharing his cell, “is the real Prince Ansem! The old geezer out there is just impersonating him!”

Isa blinks, the profuse, heart-felt apology he had prepared dying on his tongue. “Er....what?”

“It’s true,” says the blond man. “The evil sorcerer Xehanort has put my people under his spell and is trying to take over my kingdom!”

Isa feels dizzy. First he was supposed to marry Ansem, but then Ansem put Lea in jail, and now it turns out Ansem is _in_ jail, and the Ansem he thought was Ansem was really some guy named Xehanort who only called himself Ansem all along?

“Um,” says Lea, interrupting his thoughts. “Wanna give us a royal pardon, so we can get out of here?”

Oh. Right. “Guard!” Isa yells, and the bored-looking knight on duty sighs and sets down his book. “I hereby royally pardon these two men!”

The guard stares at him blankly.

“So, um. You know. Set them free?” Isa tries. He’s never actually royally pardoned anyone in his life. He can’t remember if there’s paperwork involved.

The guard grunts, fishes out the right key, and unlocks the cell door.

“Well then,” says Lea, stretching his arms. “I guess I’d better go kill that bitch Xehanort. Catch you later, in about fifteen minutes?”

Isa snorts. “Are you kidding?”

Lea’s face falls.

“No way I’m letting you have all the fun to yourself,” Isa finishes.

Lea grins, and it’s so wide and open and joyful that Isa can’t help but smile back.

\--

Thirty minutes later, Lea, Isa, and (the real) Prince Ansem are staring down at Xehanort’s dead body. A few half-hearted tendrils of darkness leak out of the sorcerer’s skin.

He should be celebrating right now, but Isa can’t help but feel a little bit sad that everything’s over and fixed.

“So,” says Isa to (the real) Prince Ansem. “I suppose we’ll be getting married, then.”

Ansem hesitates. “Er…”

Against all logic and higher judgment, Isa feels something like hope bloom in his chest.

“I’m afraid that I’ve fallen in love with someone else,” admits Ansem.

“His name is Demyx,” pipes in Lea, who apparently knows everything about Ansem’s personal life after spending four hours in a jail cell with him. “He’s the court bard, and he has a huge…”

Ansem socks him in the arm.

“...stage presence,” finishes Lea.

“I’m terribly sorry,” says Ansem. “I meant to send word to Disney Town, but then Xehanort imprisoned me and, well, you know.”

“I’m happy for you, really,” says Isa. “But, er, what am I supposed to do now?” His whole life has been leading up to marrying his prince, and now...

Ansem smiles. “Would you like to attend our wedding?”

\--

Ansem and Demyx’s wedding is picture-perfect adorable. The two grooms are completely wrapped up in each other, and the entire fountain court is decked out with flowers and balloons for the reception.

Before he overthinks it, Isa gulps down the last of his pink lemonade and extends a hand to Lea. “Care to dance?”

Lea laughs. “Shouldn’t you be chatting up some new prospects? That prince from Agrabah looks promising.”

“No,” says Isa. “I want to dance with you.”

Lea looks surprised, but accepts his hand, and soon they’re spinning on the dance floor, inches apart.

“So, since your marriage didn’t work out,” says Lea, raising an arm and twirling Isa around. “What do you want to do now?”

“I was thinking of becoming a foreign ambassador for Disney Castle,” says Isa, taking a dip. “Turns out I really enjoy traveling. I’d love to see more worlds.”

Lea nods, takes two steps to the right.

Isa swallows thickly.  “Would you… would you come with me?”

“I’m your manservant,” Lea laughs, throwing his head back. “Wherever you go, I go.”

“No,” says Isa. His heart is beating out of his chest. “Not as a servant, but as, um. An equal. My partner.”

“Partner,” says Lea, cautiously. “Like, are we talking business partners, or --”

Isa pulls Lea in and kisses him. Lea tastes like wedding cake and pink lemonade, and it’s everything Isa has dreamed of, and more. When Isa pulls away, there’s a big dopey grin on Lea’s face.

“Partners,” repeats Lea.

“Yeah,” agrees Isa, and when Lea pulls him in for another kiss, it feels like home.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! All comments, long or short, are cherished and loved!


End file.
